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From using someone who your audience trusts, to giving influencers the freedom to produce their own content, experts share their top tips for getting a marketing campaign right.

Influencer marketing promotes products and services using people who have a sway over the things that consumers buy.

These people – "influencers" – have a regular, sizeable and engaged audience on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. In fact, you might already know some of the UK’s top influencers; fashion and beauty vlogger, Zoella, and comedy vlogger, Marcus Butler, are considered some of the top names.

Social media influencers are seen as an authentic and trusted source – and using them can be an effective strategy. Last year, 84pc of marketing and communication professionals said that they would use influencers as an engagement tactic, while 81pc said that the use of influencers was effective.

But what’s the key to getting it right? Here, marketing experts and an influencer share their top tips for producing an effective campaign.

Know who, and what, you’re working with

For Philip Brown, head of influencer and brand marketing at Come Round, influencers offer brands the most trusted form of advertising: word-of-mouth recommendations by friends or family members.

“These people often come with a level of influence that brands simply don’t have,” he explains. “Their audience is more engaged and responsive to them – more so than content pushed out by a brand on the web or TV.”

Misha Talavera, co-founder of influencer marketing platform, NeoReach, agrees. “Consumers are shifting their media consumption habits from TV to digital, specifically social media, and social media influencers are the new tastemakers of this generation.”

I like it when a marketer approaches me with an understanding of who I am as a bloggerSophie Hannah Richardson, social media influencer

Influencers are expert content creators, says Mr Talavera. According to a survey by Elite Daily, 1pc of millennials (who in this study, were between the ages of 18 and 35) say that a compelling advertisement makes them trust a brand more, while 90pc of consumers say that they prefer the opinion of friends, family and online experts, who are considered more trusted sources before making purchases than traditional advertising.

Be relevant

According to Mr Talavera, picking the right influencer is 75pc of the battle. Spending time making sure that you choose an influencer with the right personal brand, audience demographics and social engagement is key to a successful campaign.

Mr Brown adds: “Most of us still focus on pushing out very specific content that is ‘on brand’ [content that’s created to a very specific client brief], when really we need to be focusing our efforts on what’s relevant to the influencer's audience – those are the people that we’re trying to reach.”

Sophie Hannah Richardson, a UK beauty, fashion and lifestyle blogger who has been used in numerous influencer campaigns, says that relevance to a brand is what attracts her most to a campaign. “I like it when a marketing professional approaches me with an understanding of who I am as a blogger. I always think about whether I’m being considered because their campaign works for me, or if it’s just because they need their product promoted.”

How a campaign relates to Ms Richardson’s audience is a key attraction to working with a brand. Those campaigns are always received well, she says.

It’s about being mutually beneficial for both company and influencer. “I recently reviewed some mermaid-themed make-up brushes for a brand," she says. "It chose me because I have a mermaid theme on my social media channels and blog. I knew that content would be well received by my followers.”

Give influencers freedom

Freedom means authenticity in what the influencer is promoting, which is vital if a campaign is to be successful, says Steven Lammertink, chief executive of Cirqle, a technology platform that enables brands and agencies to manage and measure influencer campaigns.

“Audiences trust that the people who they follow on social media – people who they respect – are making a conscious decision about the brands with whom they work. We try to safeguard that authenticity,” he says.

One of the crucial mistakes brands make when approaching influencers is to assume that they know best. For Mr Brown, working with influencers means using the tools they already have at their disposal. “Let the influencer help determine what the content could and should look like – work together and focus on reaching that audience,” he says.

For Ms Richardson, the most successful campaigns that she has worked on were those that gave her some freedom to produce the content.

When filming make-up tutorials for Halloween, brands have asked her to create a look using only their product. “This way I can make sure that the campaign comes across naturally. When a brand has done their research into my style and content, it shows that they have an understanding. I get excited to work with them,” she adds.

What’s your top tip for working with marketing influencers? Share it in the comments section below